17 Best Salt Pork Recipes (+Easy Meals)

Satisfy your comfort food cravings with these salt pork recipes. 

Fatty, salty, and savory, salt pork is fantastic for flavoring many dishes. It can transform even the simplest ingredients into mouthwatering meals.

Easy Salt Pork Recipes You’ll Love

Salt pork is essentially salted pork belly. And boy, is it delicious! 

From American to Haitian cuisine, salt pork is a widely used ingredient across the globe.

Try it in collard greens, clam chowder, pinto beans, or beef bourguignon. Whatever dish you choose, I guarantee it will be great.

Get ready to go hog wild over these salt pork recipes!

1. Cassoulet-Style French Bean Stew 

Sure, it might take three days to prepare but this cassoulet-style stew is #worththewait.

Cassoulet is a French stew with white beans and meat that’s cooked low and slow.

This version is extra heavy on the meat. 

It’s got salt pork, ham hock, fatback, pork stew meat, prosciutto, and pancetta. AND pork sausage, confit duck leg, and duck fat. 

That right there is a meat lover’s dream!

2. Pesto Pasta with Crispy Salt Pork, Sauteed Mushrooms, & Balsamic Tomatoes

Bring the Italian restaurant to your kitchen with this exquisite pasta. 

It’s a rustic spaghetti crafted with a wide range of flavors. 

Butter and beef seasoning turn the sauteed mushrooms from good to delectable. The pesto is homemade, and the cherry tomatoes get coated with balsamic. 

And the pork fat is the best part! It goes into a hot pan for a quick fry to make it crispy. 

Add it to the pasta and mangia!

3. Haitian-Style Salt-Cured Pork and Shrimp Paella With Djon Djon

Haitian-style paella is not your typical Spanish dish. 

This version ditches the Spanish chorizo for salt-cured pork instead. The shrimp gets coated in chili spices, and a Djon Djon shrimp broth infuses everything. 

Djon Djon is a type of black mushroom- a delicacy in Haitian cuisine. 

If you’re looking for something new and adventurous, you found it. 

4. Salt Pork with Puy Lentils (Petit Salé aux Lentilles) 

Here’s a French dish that even cooking newbies can make. 

Before you begin, soak salted pork in water to remove some of the saltiness.

Next, simmer it with smoked sausage and dried herbs. Saute the veggies, cook the puy lentils, then combine everything. 

Then give yourself a pat on the back. You just made a restaurant-quality dish!

5. Crockpot Pinto Beans and Rice

Are you looking for an elbow-on-the-table sort of dish? If so, throw on a pot of pinto beans and rice. 

It is one of those set-and-forget sort of meals. 

You toss salted pork, pinto beans, Rotel, onion, and cumin in a Crockpot. Then let it do its thing for half a day. 

When it’s time for serving, plate it with white rice, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.

Not only is it super comforting and hearty, but it’s also wallet-friendly.

6. New England Clam Chowder 

New England clam chowder is the perfect meal for a dreary day. It’s also one of the best uses of salt pork.

The salty and fatty meat is ideal for flavoring the creamy base. 

Add it to the chowder with potatoes, onions, and celery. For the clams, minced baby clams are the best. 

And don’t forget the clam juice!

7. Southern-Style Collard Greens

You know I can’t talk about salt pork without mentioning collard greens!

Southern-style collards are classic soul food. And at the heart of this dish is salt pork. 

The pork infuses the greens with so much flavor. I like the molasses and vinegar in this version. 

If you don’t have molasses, use brown sugar instead.

8. Puerto Rican Rice with Salt Pork (Arroz con Tocino)

For breakfast or dinner, this Puerto Rican dish is delicious no matter when you eat it.

The rice, garlic, and onions get cooked in rendered pork fat. Then the salted pork gets mixed in. 

Top it with a fried egg and cilantro, and it’s time to eat.

While you’re at it, add some pique. That Puerto Rican hot sauce is the best!

9. Salt Pork Summer Crockpot Green Beans

 You’ve got to try these green beans if you love Southern-style collards. 

The combo of salt pork, green beans, potatoes, butter, and brown sugar is incredibly comforting. 

Add everything to the Crockpot with broth and seasoning. Then let it cook low and slow.

Tonight, everyone will be eating their green veggies.

10. Coq Au Vin 

Coq au vin is a French dish mastered by Julia Child. It features red wine-braised chicken breast with pork, herbs, and mushrooms. 

This copycat recipe uses salt pork. The pork gets browned, then the chicken cooks in the rendered fat. 

It makes the whole dish super savory and delicious. 

And it makes for an impressive meal for friends and family. 

11. Straw and Hay (Paglia e Fieno)

Straw and Hay is a savory pasta the whole family will love. 

Buttered noodles get tossed with salt pork, prosciutto, parmesan, and peas. Add light cream to make it extra rich and cozy. 

Fettuccine is the usual noodle of choice. Egg noodles, spaghetti, and linguine are also excellent substitutes. 

12. Cachupa

Cachupa is a traditional Cape Verde stew. It’s a comforting blend of beans, meat, hominy, and veggies.

The combo of salt pork, linguiça, and corned beef brisket makes it very hearty. The pork also eliminates the need to add a lot of salt. 

Add bouillon and tomato paste to make the broth savory. Then load up on the beans, hominy, yuca, and collard greens. 

All those flavors make it a very cozy stew on a chilly day.

13. Braised Daikon With Salted Pork and Glass Noodles 

Salted pork is at home in this umami noodle dish. It’s a homestyle Chinese recipe that’s soul-warming. 

The salted pork belly gets fried with scallions, garlic, and daikon. Then it all simmers in chicken stock.

When the glass noodles are ready, add them to the broth. Season it with white pepper and mind the salt. 

14. Beef Bourguignon

Beef bourguignon is a classic French stew. It’s very meaty, robust, and savory.

Beef is no doubt the star. Yet it’s the salt pork that makes it extra mouthwatering. 

The veggies help to break up all the fat, and the aromatics enhance the savoriness.

Combined with the Cognac, red wine, and beef stock, it’s bold and complex. 

It’s a bit of a feat, especially since you ignite the Cognac! But it’s the perfect stew if you’re stuck inside on a frigid day.

15. Mexican Pinto Beans

These are the best pinto beans ever. 

The salt pork adds an extra layer of savory, salty fat. And canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, jalapenos, oregano, and cumin give it more depth. 

Depending upon how spicy you want it, use the jalapeno seeds. 

Want a full homestyle Mexican meal? Then try it with Mexican rice and Mexican pork. 

16. Salt Pork with Rice and Bok Choy

Want a savory meal that’s quick and easy? Go with this Asian dish. 

Salted pork, bok choy, and green onion come together to spruce white rice.

All it takes is five ingredients and less than 30 minutes. And it’s so satisfying. 

17. Field Peas and Snap Beans

Here’s another Southern dish you have got to try. It’s super easy, budget-friendly, and downright cozy. 

You simmer salt pork with Crowder peas, onion, dried chili, and green beans. About an hour later, it’s ready. 

It’s filling enough for a meal and works well as a side.